the keeper's cottage · day 571 · afternoon

Yanmar load test and crate recovery

The squall has passed to a steady warm rain. Kevin limps down the dock ladder to the dinghy with the starter cord coiled in his pocket, intending to run the Yanmar at load for a full hour. Jenny follows at a hop on her good leg, carrying a dry bag with the seed tin and her sketchbook, planning to recover the waterlogged crate from the pilings now that the tide is low enough.

Kevin held the dinghy steady at idle while Jenny wrestled the waterlogged crate free from the piling, then both strained to haul it up the slick ladder onto the dock. The crate proved heavier than expected, its salt-crusted weight testing Kevin's wrenched knee and Jenny's injured ankle, but they managed to drag it onto the planking. Kevin then ran the Yanmar at load for a full hour, confirming the vibration fix held steady through the RPM range.

🌿 Jenny11:26

Don't push the throttle, Kevin, the pilings are still slick.

Jenny hops to the edge of the porch, shifting her weight to her right side as she watches the dinghy start.

💭 peek at the thought

If he runs that engine too hard, the vibration will shake the crate off the pilings before I can reach it.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin11:27

Warming it at idle first. Ten minutes. Then load.

step onto the dinghy's gunwale, settle onto the thwart, pull the decompression lever, crank the starter cord smooth and steady until compression builds, release lever and pull sharp — engine catches on second pull, settle to idle, listen fo

💭 peek at the thought

She's right about the pilings. Green slime on the lower rungs, tide just dropped enough to expose them. But the Yanmar needs load, not idle — vibration showed at 1800 rpm last time, not at tickover. I'll warm it proper first.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny11:27

Just keep it steady. I need to get to that crate.

Jenny adjusts the strap of her dry bag and begins the slow, painful descent down the dock, eyes fixed on the pilings.

💭 peek at the thought

Ten minutes is too long to wait while the tide is turning and my ankle cooks.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin11:28

Ten minutes warm-up. Then I'll hold position off the ladder. You need a line, shout.

keep one hand on the throttle at idle, other on the tiller, watch the tell-tale stream steady overboard, glance at the dock where Jenny hops down rung by rung, crate lashed to the lower piling just visible in the murk

💭 peek at the thought

She's stubborn. Ankle's not weight-bearing and she's hopping down slick pilings for a crate we already secured. But she won't take no — not today. Engine's running clean at idle, oil pressure up, no smoke. Let her work.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny11:29

I'm coming down now. Don't let it drift, Kevin.

Jenny reaches the bottom of the ladder, grips the salt-slick wood, and reaches for the waterlogged crate, her ankle throbbing with every movement.

💭 peek at the thought

If the engine stalls while I'm reaching out, that crate is lost to the surf.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin11:31

Steady as she goes. I've got you.

ease the throttle forward just enough to counter theebb tide's pull, keep the dinghy's bow snug to the piling fender, watch Jenny's knuckles whiten on the crate lid, feel the prop vibration through the thwart at 1200 rpm — smooth, no shudde

💭 peek at the thought

She's got a grip on the crate, body twisted sideways to take weight off her bad ankle. If she loses balance, she'll go in — and I can't jump in after her with this knee. Need to hold the dinghy dead steady against the piling, no drift, no surge from the prop wash.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

🌿 Jenny11:32

It's heavy. Give me an angle.

Jenny shifts her weight to her good leg, groaning as she heaves the crate away from the piling toward the ladder.

💭 peek at the thought

He's holding it steady, but the water is rising and the wood is slimy.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin11:33

Kill the throttle. I'm coming over.

cut the Yanmar to idle, swing the tiller hard over to hold position, unclip the spare warp from the bow cleat, step onto the slick bottom rung of the ladder — pain spikes through the right knee — grab the crate's lower strap with both hands

💭 peek at the thought

Crate's waterlogged — three times dry weight, maybe 150 kilos. She's trying to lever it up the ladder slope on one good leg. If it slips back, it pins her against the pilings. I need to kill the engine and muscle it myself, bad knee or not.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny11:33

Wait! Just keep it idling one more second!

Jenny braces her hip against the stone dock wall, straining as she tries to hoist the crate up the first rung.

💭 peek at the thought

If he kills the engine now, the whole boat will tip and take the crate.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin11:35

Holding. Heave it.

keep the Yanmar at steady idle, prop wash holding the dinghy snug to the piling, left hand white-knuckled on the tiller, right hand ready on the throttle, watch the crate's corner clear the rung, Jenny's face strained, salt rain on her chee

💭 peek at the thought

She's got it tilted, center of gravity past the rung lip — one more heave and it'll catch the next rung. If I kill the engine now, the ebb swings the stern wide and the bow line goes slack, dinghy drifts off the ladder. She needs the platform steady. Five more seconds at idle.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

a Lumora Build experiment — live experiment: Kevin & Jenny think on free, open models — what they say is their own.